What’s gone so wrong for Neil Woodford? June 5, 2019 In the not-so-distant past, Neil Woodford was a bit of hero, beaming among the failed fund managers who had blindly bought into the tech boom of 2000. But sometimes stars fall. Or in Woodford’s case, they implode. News that Britain’s most famous fund manager has blocked withdrawals from his flagship fund may have left us stunned, but it’s [...]
Should people be allowed to dip into their pensions savings to get onto the housing ladder? June 5, 2019 James Brokenshire’s proposals risk undermining the progress that has been made through auto-enrolment
Sir Philip Green faces a crunch moment June 4, 2019 THESE are not good times for Sir Philip Green. The scandal-hit tycoon has been spending more days than usual at his Monaco base in recent months, laying low in the sunny tax haven while both his reputation and high street empire take a beating back in the UK. But even Green will struggle to avoid [...]
Sam Torrance: Patrick Cantlay back to winning ways with a little help from Jack Nicklaus June 3, 2019 Patrick Cantlay and Jack Nicklaus go back a long way, to when a young Cantlay earned the award named after the great man for the best player on the American college circuit eight years ago. Nicklaus has continued to look out for his protege, watching as Cantlay set a new record for the most weeks [...]
John Myers: a radio giant June 3, 2019 When I heard that John Myers had died unexpectedly, I felt more than the usual range of regretful emotions. It’s a sad fact of life that friends pass away; and sometimes they do so suddenly. We are shocked and sad and full of memories, but there was something different about this one. I was shaken, [...]
Millennials are not as different as you think – work needs to be better for everyone June 3, 2019 Why are businesses treating millennials differently from every other generation? We’ve seen an avalanche of contradictory studies about what young people supposedly want in recent years – as well as countless “helpful” articles on how to “deal with” millennial staff. Employers are worried about how to attract and retain this generation, but they shouldn’t be. The main [...]
Blame polarising primaries for Democrats’ shift to the far left June 3, 2019 As an American working in Westminster, I often get asked about the differences between US and British politics. Obviously, the entire American political spectrum is shifted to the right, we’re still fighting hard battles on social issues, and there is the added interplay of state level policies. But there’s an obvious similarity. The divide between [...]
What does Boris Johnson have in common with Oscar Wilde? A brief history of private prosecutions June 3, 2019 Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson has been told that he will face court as part of private prosecution brought against him for his conduct in the Brexit campaign. Suddenly, this obscure legal mechanism is in the public spotlight. Indeed, many people may not even have been aware that private prosecutions still existed in modern Britain. [...]
DEBATE: Should there be a cap on inheritance tax breaks available to wealthy families? June 3, 2019 Should there be a cap on inheritance tax breaks available to wealthy families? Robert Palmer, executive director of Tax Justice UK, says YES. Inheritance tax is one of the most disliked taxes in the UK, in part because the super-rich can largely avoid paying it. This is deeply unfair. At Tax Justice UK, we’ve just published [...]
As a global trading hub, the City is ready to face the challenges of a new digital era June 3, 2019 With changes afoot both domestically and when it comes to our relationship with Europe, it is a challenging and frustrating time for many parts of the City. What we must not lose sight of is that London – and specifically the City – has been at the centre of global trade for centuries, and has [...]